I recently posted an article to my Facebook page about a Turkish airlines flight headed from somewhere in Germany to Istanbul - there was an attempted hijacking, but it was foiled by the passengers on the plane. When the police in Istanbul got to the airplane, people had restrained the hijacker.
I pictured the tsk, tsk'ing, another friend from Turkey (now stateside as well) commented on the BU NE YA! which would have also followed, another friend (still in Ankara) commented that she couldn't get across how much she appreciates the power of Turkish shame mongering to her co - workers. We were all thinking essentially the same thing.
The kinds of connections you build with the people you spend time with overseas are unique and unlike any relationship you will probably have at home. On one hand, you have a lot in common because you've all decided, for whatever reason, to live abroad. On the other hand, those reasons separate those that are hiding from something at home, want to see the world, are searching for career opportunities, or don't know what else to do. Still, you build a new version of home. You create new holidays. You become like family, you take care of each other. Then ultimately you leave.
Before I left Turkey my mantra was "Go home or make a home". Living a rootless existence doesn't make (in my opinion) for a balanced life. I think humans crave security and a little bit of consistency, which doesn't work if you are moving every 2 -5 years and only see your friends and family (wherever they are in the world) on short intervals in between. You become very good at making friends, but keeping close friends is a little trickier. Time differences and changes in lifestyle are difficult hurdles when it's no longer as easy as meeting up after work for a drink at the only bar in the neighbourhood.
I look back now and miss some things. I miss my friends and I miss our lifestyle. As happy as I was to be with my family on Christmas, it was strange to have everything we needed readily available (from turkeys to appropriate wrapping paper). Christmas was a bigger production this year, it wasn't as simple as the 12 Beers of Christmas on Christmas Eve and who'll bring what and help me carry chairs on Christmas Day.
Back to the present.
I believe I've proven to myself that I can cut it in Canada. I love spending time with my family. I've made amazing new friends and been fortunate to have had such great friends here along the way to begin with. I can take the bus downtown, I can have any kind of cuisine I want, I can walk safely through my neighbourhood at night. I can go skiing, I can drink cappuccinos, I can walk Bo (the dog).
I love Vancouver. There are no teaching jobs here. There are teaching jobs in Singapore, there are teaching jobs rurally. The decision I make now - which will apply to "Go home or make a home" will be a committed venture.
So what's next?
